Wednesday, April 20, 2016

It's Crazy Ingredient time again! Blogland's version of Chopped. The ingredients this month were crazy.....crazy delicious!! Not unusual flavors and flavors that paired very well together...Lemon and Thyme.

The first thought that came to mind when I heard these ingredients was muffins or a quick bread, followed closely by chicken picatta. Of course, a lemon thyme pasta would be delicious too. Or maybe a fish dish. Hmmmmmm....decisions, decisions. Then I decided to have a party and serve cocktails and appetizers so I turned my thoughts in this direction.

Oooooh....I wondered if Frank would consider creating a Lemon Thyme Martini. I can see it in my minds eye....a pale yellow cocktail, garnished with a lemon twist and a sprig of thyme. I am going to put him to work on that. But not for this party. So I started thinking about appetizers. I already had Pulled Pork Sliders and Sweet and Sour Meatballs on the menu. I knew I was going to have Chips with Salsa and Guacamole. I planned a Cheese and Beer Fondue pot. I decided I needed something from the fruit and vegetable portion of the pyramid.

I considered a vegetable platter featuring a lemon thyme dip for the veggies. I knew I wanted a cheese platter and I love adding fruit, nuts and olives to my cheese platters. When making a cheese platter I try to have one soft cheese and one or more hard cheeses. Thinking about soft cheese and olives made me think of those delicious blue cheese stuffed olives you get in the deli bar. YUM...anyway one thought led to another and this is what I ended up creating....I hope that you enjoy it as much as my guests and I did. Frank's not a big goat cheese fan and he likes olives even less but there were plenty of other goodies on the tray for him.

The Goat Cheese and Olives were a perfect addition to this platter.

I started out with mixed olives packed in olive oil from the deli.

Added some sprigs of thyme, lemon zest and lemon juice and heated it gently over low heat.

I didn't want to cook it, just infuse the lemon and thyme flavors into the mixture.

I placed the goat cheese into a bowl and ladled the olives around and over the cheese.

I think this recipe is going to be making regular appearances when I serve appetizers from now on.

Just as a side note...as you read this I am on a vacation in Bonaire. Yesterday, for lunch, I was served local goat cheese, grilled , drizzled with honey and thyme and served on a flat bread with greens. Oh My YUM.

Goat Cheese with Lemon and Thyme Olives

1 pint mixed olives packed in olive oil

3 sprigs thyme

zest from half a lemon

juice from half a lemon

4 oz. roll of goat cheese

Place all ingredients in a large skillet over low heat and warm gently, stirring often, until fragrant. Place the cheese into a decorative bowl or onto a rimmed platter and ladle the olives over and around the cheese. Serve with crackers or crostini. Print Recipe

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